Regenerative chamber or retort



Sept. 12, .1939. v KOPPERS 2,172,736

REGENERATIVE CHAMBER OR RETORT OVEN FOR THE PRODUCTION OF GAS AND COKE Filed Feb. 28, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 H. KOPPERS 2,172,736

REGENERATIVE CHAMBER OR RETORT OVEN FOR THE PRODUCTION OF GAS AND COKE Sept. 12, 1939.

Filed Feb. 28', 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 2 2 2 7 Z l 1 V %Z w J Z I! 1 Z J V p w gm w Patented Sept. 12, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COKE Heinrich Koppers, Essen, Germany, assignor, by

mesne assignments,

to Koppers Company,

Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application February 28', 1938, Serial No. 193,133 In Germany March 1, 1937 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to regenerative horizontal chamber or retort ovens for the production of gas and coke, and more particularly to a type of oven, in which the regenerators for preheating the combustion and the fuel gas are arranged underneath the coking chambers or retorts.

It is a well-known fact that during the operation of the plant, dust and other solid substances l contained in the media, which are passed through the regenerators, tend to deposit in the regenerators of chamberor retort ovens for the production of gas and coke. Such deposits are mainly found in those regenerators, serving for preheating the fuel gas, such as generator gas. Generator gas contains a considerable amount of dust and the like. As soon as the velocity of the gas flow, containing dust, falls below a certain value, the dust precipitates, especially on horizontal surfaces. Such faces are formed to a great extent in the chequerwork of the regenerators, and due to the fact that the gas velocity is comparatively low within the regenerators, there are easily formed deposits of dust. and other materials, blocking-up the gas passages, and consequently the efiiciency of the regenera tor is reduced considerably. Further, the dust deposit acts as a heat insulation on the chequer-.

work of the regenerator and prevents the heat same.

Now I have found, that dust deposits chiefly in the lower part of the regenerator chequerwork of horizontal chamber or retort coking 3 ovens. The reason for this may be explained by the fact that the individual dust particles become temporarily somewhat pastywhen the water evaporates from the surface of the dust particle as soon as the dust in the lower part of the regenerator attains a temperature above 100 degrees centigrade.

In order to eliminate the troublesome dust accumulations from the chequerwork of the regenerators, it is necessary to dismantle and clean 5 the chequerwork from time to time, and this work is rather diflicult and costs very much.

The main object of my present invention consists in the provision of such improvements in regenerators of horizontal chamber or retort ovens, which will permit the regenerators to be freed from dust and other deposits without considerable difficulty, and the chequerwork may be removed from the regenerators, in order to clean the latter.

i My invention principally consists in supporting the upper part of the regenerator chequer work separately, 1. e. independently of the lower adjoining the sole channel passage of the regenerator, for outlet of the cooled waste gas media that has just given up its heat to the regenerator and inlet of cold gaseous media to be preheated, is heated up only to a comparatively low degree.

Another feature of my invention is to equip the lower part of the regenerator with a chequerwork consisting of refractory bricks each of which is provided with several openings or channels, through which the media may circulate.

It is very advantageous to use such bricks in the lower part of the regenerator for many rea sons. For instance it is possible to build-up the chequerwork in that part of the regenerator that is to be dismantled frequently for cleaning purposes, with a relatively small number of individual bricks. Such bricks may easily be removed from the regenerator and replaced again, and this removing of the chequerwork is at any rate not as hard and troublesome as if the prismatic bricks, which have been used usually hitherto, and which are laid in the regenerator preferably in cross-bond, are used. Furthermore, the use of said bricks oifers the possibility of reducing the wall thickness of the refractory brick body. The smaller the wall thickness of the brick of the chequerwork, the greater is the total heat exchange surface of chequerwork which can be built-in. Therefore, according to the present invention, the surface of the chequerwork may be increased in the lower part of the regenerator and the capacity of the regenerator will be improved considerably.

- It is to be noted that the heat in the lower and cooler part of the regenerator is transferred substantially by convection alone, whereas in the upper and hotter part of the regenerator the heat transfer is assisted by radiation, which in most cases is very considerable. The heat transfer by means of convection greatly depends upon the area of the face giving-01f or taking-up the heat. heat transfer by means of convection, whereas The larger this surface, the better the for radiation depth of heat penetration is more eifective.

Therefore, my invention further consists in an arrangement wherein the wall thickness of the regenerator chequerwork in the lower cooler convective part of the regenerator of horizontal chamber or retort ovens for the production of gas and coke is less, and the heat exchange surface per unit of space greater, than in the upper hotter radian part of these regenerators.

In view of the above and to make apparent other objects and features of my present invention, I shall now describe a preferred embodiment of my present invention on the lines of the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a horizontal chamber oven for the production of gas and coke, built according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a Vertical section through the same oven taken transversely of Figure 1.

On the accompanying drawings, the chambers into which the coal to be carbonized is charged are marked I. The chambers l are formed by refractory brick walls 2, in which vertical heating flues 3, 3a are provided. The heating fines are connected in pairs at their upper ends, thus forming the so-called hair-pin or twin flues.

The regenerators 4, 5 are situated underneath the coking chambers and heating flues. They are separated from each other in the middle of the oven by a partition 6. Between the regenerators on the one hand and the coking chambers and the heating flues on the other hand, there are provided horizontal channels "I, 8. The channel is connected by a sloped connecting channel 9 with the regenerator 5 and the channel 8 is connected with'the regenerator 4 by means of the sloped channel ID. The channels 9, I0 cross each other, as may be seen from the drawings. The regenerators are arranged side-by-side in a row underneath all the coking chambers of the coke oven battery.

Vertical channels coming from the heating flues 3, 3a, lead to the regenerators, some communicating through the horizontal channels 8 which are in connection therewith. As can be taken from Figure 1, the heating flues 3a that are over regenerator 4 are communicably connected with the regenerator 5 through the horizontal channel 'I. The fiues 3 that are over regenerator 5 are, however, connected with the regenerator 4 through the horizontal channel 8.

The heating flues 3a that are situated above the regenerator '5, are in direct communication with it. On the other side of the oven, the flues 3a are connected with regenerator 5 through the horizontal channel 1. Similarly, the flues 3 that are above regenerator 4 are in direct communication with it and on the other side of the oven the lines 3 are connected with the regenerator 4 through the corresponding horizontal channel 8.

Figure 2 shows clearly that two regenerators, i. e., one regenerator 4 and one regenerator 5 are situated underneath each oven chamber The regenerators and the necessary horizontal channels 8 are in combination with the heating fines of two heating walls.

The regenerators 4 and 5 operate in alternation with each other and, of said regenerators 4 and 5, the alternate regenerators G (see Figure 2) serve for instance for preheating the heating gas, for example generator gas, and the intermediate regenerators A serve for preheating the combustion air concurrently.

A vertical channel coming from a gas regenerator and from an air regenerator leads into each heating flue 3 or 3a. It may be assumed that the regenerators 4 situated on the left side of the oven (see Figure 1) are supplied with air gas resp. through the openings l2. The media then rise upwards in their regenerators A and G, taking up the heat from the chequerwork provided in the regenerator, then distribute through the channels through the horizontal channel 8 and the adjoining channels into the heating flues 3 on both sides of the battery, where they are burnt. The hot combustion gases pass upwards in the heating flues 3, flow downwards through the heating flues 3a and pass through the channels H and through the horizontal channel 1, thereby entering the regenerator 5. The residual heat is transferred to the chequerwork of the regenerator 5 and the gases finally flow through the opening I3 into the chimney.

As soon as the chequerwork of the regenerators 4 is cooled-down so that the media are no more pre-heated to the desired temperature, the direction of heating is reversed. The media are then introduced through the openings l3 into the regenerators 5, which during the preceding heating period have been heated-up by the hot waste gases. From there the preheated media are distributed into the heating fines to, where they are burned. They then flow through the heating flues 3 into ducts II and channel 1 into the regenerators 4, thence through the openings |2 into the chimney. The heating method is usual and well known to all those skilled in the art of coke oven practice.

The distilling gases and vapours escaping from the coal which was charged into the coking chamber through the holes l4, arranged in the oven roof l5, are driven through the ascension pipe I6 into the common collecting main. The coking chambers have openings at both sides which are closed by the doors H. The coke produced in the chamber is discharged through these openings.

The construction of the regenerators is fully detailed and shown in Figure 2. The bottoms of the regenerators are provided with a pair of sole channels |8, leading to the openings |2, |3 resp. Openings IS in the sole channels |8 lead into the above situated chequerwork-space of the regenerator.

The lower portion of the space of the chequerwork is divided by vertical supporting walls 20. Perforated bricks 2| made of refractory material fill-up the free space between the supporting wall 211 and the regenerator walls. These perforated bricks possess a multitude of openings 22 through which the media may flow. The bricks 2| may be removed separately or in groups from the regenerators. For this purpose the front walls 23 (Figure 1) of the regenerators are built-up of removable brickwork, i. e., they may be taken out separately. Preferably, the front walls are constructed in the lower part of the regenerators in such a manner that they can be taken-off without loosening the connection of the front walls in the upper part of the regenerators. In this way, it is possible only to open the lower part of the regenerators, if necessary, and to remove from it the bricks 2| for cleaning purposes.

Horizontal walls 25 are provided on the vertical supporting walls 29 and projections 24 on the regenerator walls. Thev chequerwork 26 for the upper part of the regenerators is situated on these walls 25. This chequerwork preferably con sists of common prismatic bricks, which are suitably laid in cross-bond one above the other loosely. A free space is likewise above the chequerwork 26. The media may collect in this free space from where they are distributed onto the chequerwork.

The bricks 2| provided in the lower part of the regenerators are manufactured suitably of a smaller wall thickness than the bricks in the upper space 26 of the chequerwork. The reason for this provision has already been fully explained in the foregoing.

I have now described in the above the present invention on the lines of a preferred embodiment thereof, but my invention is not limited in all its aspects to the mode of carrying it out as described and shown, since the invention may be variously embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A coking retort oven regenerator unit comprising a regenerator chamber having an upper regenerator filler of refractory heat transfer bodies providing passages for diffusion of gas to be preheated from below vertically upwardly through the filler and of waste gas from above vertically downwardly through the filler in alternation, and lower sole-flue means at the base of the filler for distributing the gas to be preheated to, and for exhaust of waste gas from, the base of -the filler; and in which the heat transfer bodies in the upper radiant zone of the filler are composed of relatively thick bricks laid in open channeled relation one above the other loosely, and the heat transfer bodies in the lower convective zone of the filler are composed of a relatively smaller number of perforated bricks of larger size than those in the upper radiant zone per unit of area, each of which larger size brick is provided with a plurality of channels for diffusion of the gaseous media, and in which the bricks of the upper radiant zone are supported independently of those in the lower convective zone and the bricks in the lower convective zone are laid therein so as to be removable separately without dismantling the bricks in the upper radiant zone of the filler.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and in which the wall thickness of the bricks in the lower convective zone of the filler is less than the thickness of the bricks in the upper zone.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and in which the wall thickness of the bricks in the lower convective zone of the filler is less than the thickness of the bricks in the upper zone, and in which the bricks in the lower zone are divided by a vertical supporting wall provided with a horizontal Wall at its top, and in which projections are provided on the regenerator chamber walls, the regenerator brick of the upper radiant zone being supported by such projections and the horizontal wall independently of the brick in the lower convective zone divided by the vertical supporting wall.

' Ko r es 

